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Starcraft II Ghosts of the Past Trailer

Aseenus — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 06:53:04 +0000

With the release of Starcraft 2 around the corner Blizzard entertainment has just released the ‘Ghosts of the Past’ trailer. The hype for this game may very well be higher than any other PC game to date.

StarCraft II Beta Ends

Aseenus — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:04:27 +0000

It’s been a great few months but the beta has finally come to an end, Blizzard is now doing some final touches before launching on the 27th, one phrase comes to mind.. “Hell, it’s about time!”.

Blizzard made a statement:

“We would like to thank everyone who has participated in the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty beta test. You’ve done an admirable job of testing, and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback you provided during this critical phase of development. It’s been a lot of fun; however, all good things must come to an end.

In preparation for the launch of the game on Tuesday, July 27, the beta servers will be brought offline by Monday, July 19. At that time, all beta accounts and character information will be reset and the ability to create forum posts and comments on the StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty website will be unavailable until launch. In the meantime, we still encourage everyone to stay tuned to the website for exciting news and updates regarding the upcoming release.

Thank you again for your participation, and we’ll see you soon on Battle.net!”

Download Starcraft II Now!

Aseenus — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:06:04 +0000

Heads up! Do you want to play Starcraft 2 without having to install and download patches on release? Blizzard is now allowing you to download the full client without having to pay up front. At 10:00 AM PDT on Tuesday, July 27 (launch day) you can then pay for StarCraft II and start playing straight away! Saving all of us from racing home only to sit in front of an installing bar and counting down the percentages.

As we have seen in the past, there is a high chance that Blizzard servers will have an overhaul of downloads, this will also help skip the rush. You are all encouraged to download now!

Starcraft II Beta – Patch 13

Aseenus — Sat, 22 May 2010 07:39:01 +0000

StarCraft II Beta — Patch 13 (version 0.15.0.15449)

General

* Map Publishing is now enabled: Using the map editor, you can upload your custom maps to share with the Battle.net community.
* Facebook feature is integrated: Here’s a quick way to expand your social network by seeing who among your existing Facebook friends also has a Battle.net account.
* 3v3 and 4v4 formats are now enabled.
* Numerous updates have been made to the Leagues & Ladders system:

o Removed Copper League and added Diamond League above Platinum League.
o Player ratings start at 0, rather than 1000.
o No longer displays loading screen odds in placement or practice league matches.
o Matchmaking system logic updated.

* UDP is enabled to help improve game performance.
* Numerous performance and stability improvements.

Balance Changes

* PROTOSS

o Sentry

+ Force Fields can now be destroyed by Massive ground units walking over them.

o Void Ray

+ Range decreased from 7 to 6.

o Warp Gate

+ Subgroup selection priority changed from 2 to 3 so that it takes priority over Gateways when selected.

* TERRAN

o Marine

+ Stimpack research cost decreased from 150/150 to 100/100.
+ Combat Shield research cost decreased from 150/150 to 100/100.

* ZERG

o Infestor

+ Infested Terran spell removed.
+ Frenzy spell added:

# Costs 25 energy.
# Targets a single biological unit which deals 25% more damage and is immune to snare, stuns, and mind control for 30 seconds.

o Overseer

+ Contaminate spell added:

# Costs 75 energy.
# Targets a single enemy structure which cannot train units or research upgrades for 30 seconds.

+ Infested Terran spell added:

# Costs 125 energy.
# Infested Terrans have the same stats as those previously created by the Infestor and are placed directly under the Overseer when spawned.

o Ultralisk

+ Life decreased from 600 to 450.
+ Damage changed from 25 to 15 (+25 Armored).
+ Damage versus structures increased from 60 to 75.

Hotkey Changes (English Only):

* Zerg Set Worker Rally Point changed from R to G.
* Zerg Spore Crawler changed from W to A to avoid conflict with the Select All Warp Gates hotkey.

Battle.net Interface

* Revamped summary pages for player Profiles and Leagues & Ladders.
* Added a Help system with tech trees and other tips and tricks.
* Removed identifier from the character naming process and added the ability to refer friends for invitation into your party or lobby.
* Updated the Battle.net user interface to consistently use a nested menu system.
* Added in-game blocking and player muting.

Source: http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23094049316&sid=5000

Starcraft II Beta – Patch 11

Aseenus — Fri, 07 May 2010 01:49:46 +0000

Balance Changes

* TERRAN
o Battlecruiser
+ The build time has been decreased from 110 to 90.

o Fusion Core
+ The build time has been decreased from 80 to 65.

o Hellion
+ The range has been increased from 5 to 6.

o Planetary Fortress
+ The splash damage now originates from the center of the target, rather than the impact location near the unit in order to maintain more reliable splash damage.

o Raven
+ Seeker Missile range has been decreased from 9 to 6.
+ Seeker Missile splash radius has been decreased from 2.4 to 2.
+ Seeker Missile upgrade no longer requires Fusion Core.

o Siege Tank
+ Life increased from 150 to 160.
+ Siege Mode splash damage now originates from the center of the target, rather than the impact location near the unit in order to maintain more reliable splash damage.

o Thor
+ Ground damage decreased from 45 to 30.
+ Ground rate of fire improved from 1.93 to 1.28.
+ Air damage changed from 8 (+4 Light) to 6 (+6 Light).
+ 250mm Strike Cannons are now an upgrade at the Factory Tech Lab.
+ 250mm Strike Cannons research now costs 150/150 and 110 seconds.
+ 250mm Strike Cannons energy cost increased from 100 to 150.
+ Anti-Air splash damage now originates from the center of the target, rather than the impact location near the unit in order to maintain more reliable splash damage.

* PROTOSS
o Archon
+ The splash radius has been increased from 0.8 to 1.
+ Splash damage now originates from the center of the target, rather than the impact location near the unit in order to maintain more reliable splash damage.

o Colossus
+ The damage has been decreased from 20 to 15.
+ The rate of fire has been improved from 2.2 to 1.65.

o Phoenix
+ Can now attack while moving.

o Sentry
+ The damage has been decreased from 8 to 6.

* ZERG
o Brood Lord
+ Life has been decreased from 275 to 225.
+ Armor has been decreased from 2 to 1.

o Corruptor
+ Corruptor damage changed from 12 (+10 Massive) to 14 (+6 Massive).
+ Corruptor speed increased from 2.75 to 2.9531
+ Corruption ability redesigned:
# Single target.
# Increases damage taken by 20%.
# Lasts 30 seconds.
# Costs 100 energy.
# Range 6.
# Cannot target structures.

o Infestor
+ Neural Parasite is now an upgrade at the Infestation Pit.
+ Neural Parasite research costs 150/150 and 110 seconds.
+ Neural Parasite can now target Air units.
+ Neural Parasite energy cost increased from 50 to 100.

o Spine Crawler
+ The root time has been increased from 6 to 12.

o Spore Crawler
+ The root time has been increased from 6 to 12.

o Ultralisk
+ Damage has been increased from 18 to 25.

Hotkey Changes

* General
o In order to resolve a conflict with building multiple Forges with the Shift Key we have made the following changes:
+ Changed Center Camera from Shift+F to Ctrl+F.
* Standard
o To prevent the accidental research of Ventral Sacs when trying to train an Overlord with no Larva available, the hotkey has been changed from V to E.
o View Own Health Bars functionality added to the Backslash key

* Standard for Lefties
o Due to a conflict with research Banshee Cloak, research Seeker Missile has been changed from L to K.
o To correct a conflict with the Attack command on Planetary Fortress, train SCV has been changed from K to J.
o In order to prevent the accidental training of Zerglings when using the Select Larva hotkey,train Zergling has been changed from L to J.
o To prevent the accidental training of a Queen, train Ultralisk has been changed from U to T.
o To prevent the accidental research of Pneumatized Carapace when trying to train a corruptor with no Larva available, research Pneumatized Carapace has been changed from P to C.
o View All Status Bars has been changed from Q to the Alt key.
o View own Status Bars functionality has been added to the Q key.

* Grid for Lefties
o Attack Move and all other buttons in the 0,4 position should now function correctly.
o View Own Status Bars functionality added to Q.
o View Enemy Status Bars moved to W.
o View Ally Status Bars moved to E.

* Classic
o Changed build Nydus Canal from P to N.
o Changed Place Nydus Canal ability from P to N.
o Terran Infantry Weapon researches have been changed from E to W.
o Terran Vehicle Weapon researches have been changed from E to W.
o Train Thor hotkey has been changed from O to G.
o Train Viking hotkey has been changed from Y to W.
o View Own Status Bars functionality has been added to the Backslash key.

Icon Position Changes

* To put all race gas extractors in the same icon position, the positions of the Supply Depot/Refinery and Pylon/Assimilator have been swapped.
* In order to make transforming multiple Gateways easier for players using Grid key sets, Transform to Gateway has been moved to a separate icon position (2,1).

Bug Fixes

* Corrected an issue that was causing the Polish language client to crash when receiving the “player is no longer being revealed” message.
* Corrected incorrect battle.net links on multiple language clients pages.
* Corrected an issue where the Zealot was using an US English voice over in the Korean language client.
* Corrected an issue where a player is unable to build any structures that require pylon power when their protoss ally leaves.
* Units can no longer be healed or repaired while in transports.
* Corrected an issue where the Creep Tumor targeting circle was visible to opponents through Fog of War.
* Corrected an issue in which selecting a Starport under construction and a completed Starport would display the select builder command in the Viking slot.
* Corrected the Broodling weapon icon.

Source: http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23094049316&postId=243993487492&sid=5000#10

Starcraft II Release date announced!

Aseenus — Tue, 04 May 2010 03:47:20 +0000

Blizzard Entertainment has just announced that Starcraft 2 will hit stores for United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau July 27th 2010.

Blizzard’s Mike Morhaime said “Thanks to our beta testers, we’re making great progress on the final stages of development, and we’ll be ready to welcome players all over the world to StarCraft 2 and the new Battle.net in just a few months.”

This just in, Korean males aged 16-28 have all become erect over this announcement.

Starcraft II Beta – Patch 9

Aseenus — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 22:19:48 +0000

Blizzard has just released Starcraft 2 Beta Patch 9, This seems like the biggest patch to hit the Starcraft 2 beta yet. We just got word that all Koreans fan boy’s world wide getting massive boners with the release of this patch. The biggest part about this patch seems to be the release of the Galaxy editor. Just a reminder that Xin Gaming is recruiting map makers for Starcraft 2. Happy gaming:

General

* The StarCraft II Editor is now available!

o Players will now be able to begin creating trigger maps in preparation for map publishing which will be made available in an upcoming beta patch.

* Achievements & Decals are now live!

o Players will now be able to earn achievements, browse the list of available achievements, and view achievements earned by friends.
o Players will be able to highlight favorite achievements in their Showcase.
o Earning certain achievements will unlock portrait and decal rewards.

* The updated Homepage now includes a Recent Broadcasts panel and a News & Community panel.
* A new Match History page is now available which will allow players to browse and filter their last 1,000 games played.
* A new Community page is now available which features an in-game version of RSS news feeds.
* A new Friends-of-Friends feature has been added, which allows players to easily find and connect with more real life friends on Battle.net through existing friends.
* Additional friends’ presence details are now available from the Friends’ list.
* Improvements have been made on the Voice Chat system in game.

o Please use the new voice chat and provide feedback via the StarCraft II beta forums.

* The score screen now features a new graph tab.
* The art for many parts of the user interface has been updated.
* Hotkey templates have been added.
* In the gameplay options menu select from standard name based hotkeys for right and left-handed players, grid based hotkeys for right, and left-handed players, and classic StarCraft keys.
* Several hotkeys have been changed to avoid conflicts with the “Select All Warpgates” UI button:

o The Set Worker Rally Point has been changed from W to R.
o Build Sensor Tower has been changed from W to N.
o Terran Infantry Weapons have been changed from W to E.
o Terran Vehicle Weapons have been changed from W to E.
o Weapon Refit has been changed from W to R.
o Burrow has been changed from W to R.
o Spawn Larva has been changed from R to V.
o Neural Parasite has been changed from R to E.

Balance Changes

* TERRAN

o Marauder

+ Concussive Shells research cost decreased from 100/100 80 seconds to 50/50 60 seconds.

* PROTOSS

o Immortal

+ Build time increased from 40 to 55.

* ZERG

o Infested Terran

+ Damage increased from 5 to 8.
+ Speed decreased from 1.5 to 0.9375.

o Queen

+ Speed off creep decreased from 1.5 to 0.938. (Speed on creep unchanged.)

o Spine Crawler

+ Attack period decreased from 1.6 to 1.85.

o Infestor

+ Neural Parasite range increased from 7 to 9.
+ Fungal Growth projectile removed; Units in the target area are now instantly hit.

Maps
* We’ve made a change to the (2)ScrapStation map to make the natural expansion easier to defend.
* New maps have been added to the ladder rotation while others have been removed as follows:
o 1v1

+ Added (2)IncinerationZone

o 2v2

+ Removed (4)LostTemple
+ Removed (4)Metalopolis
+ Added (4)AridWastes
+ Added (4)Coalition
+ Added (4)Decena
+ Added (4)ScorchedHaven

o 1v1 (Novice)

+ Removed (4)NoviceKulasRavine

o 2v2 (Novice)

+ Removed (4)NoviceKulasRavine
+ Removed (4)NoviceShakurasPlateau
+ Added (4)NoviceDecena
+ Added (4)NoviceScorchedHaven
+ Added (4)NoviceTwilightFortress

Source: http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23094049316&postId=243993487492&sid=5000#10

StarCraft cheating scandal rocks Korea

Aseenus — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:46:18 +0000

The largest scandal in e-sports history is currently unfolding in Korea, with revelations that a number of current pro gamers are involved with match set-ups and illegal betting, the team at Gamepron.com sheds some light on the matter:

While the gamers are un-named at this point, the story is said to touch many A-list StarCraft celebrities – including sAviOr, Ja Mae Yoon – one of the best-known and most successful players of all time.

At this stage, we hear that various pro gamers have been found intentionally losing matches, as well as leaking their team’s replay files to illegal gambling groups.

The teams involved are currently naming and shaming offending members, in some cases forcing the more serious cheaters to retire from the game. Various gamers are also being investigated, with many denying charges before eventually admitting their involvement.

The story has been likened to the 1919 Black Sox scandal, which saw eight members of the Chicago White Sox World Series team intentionally losing several games – giving the series to the Cincinnati Reds. While we’re not sure if this new story has quite the same links to the underworld, it’s an interesting comparison.

According to Korean sources, the drama all started several years ago – in 2006 – and exploded properly in 2008, when the betting sites started to contact various players inquiring about rigging their matches. Apparently, retired pro gamers, a former pro gamer coach, a former match announcer and a pro gaming scene reporter brought out their address books and contact lists to play a large part in the deals being made. Coaching staff and camp directors are also implicated, allegedly taking money for charging player entry fees.

…even more sinister: E-sports organisers allegedly knew about the situation and had attempted to solve the issue themselves, with the illegal businesses going further underground. A closed conference even saw the organisers discussing the possibility of co-existing with the illegal betting sites.

As part of Korea’s human rights laws, it is illegal to release criminals’ names – they can only be implied – which means that as the police have now gotten involved, we may never be officially told who was involved in this drama. Unofficially, however, it’s only a matter of time before fingers are pointed and pro gamers find themselves without a job.

“Blacklists” of players have been posted and taken down from the internet – we found a reportedly translated version which names most of the current major StarCraft pro gamers in Korea as being currently under investigation.

Myung Soo (Yarnc), Chan Soo (Luxury), Sang Ho (SangHo), Jung Woo (EffOrt), Yong Hwa (Movie), Jae Yoon (sAviOr), Taek Yong (Bisu), Byong Goo (Stork), Jae Wook (BeSt), il Jang (hero), Myung Hoon (fantasy), Heui Seung (UpMaGiC), Jae Dong (Jaedong), Sang Moon (Leta), Jong Seo (Justin), Chang Hee (go.go)

With both sAviOr and EffOrt previously BlizzCon champions, Who knows, this year’s convention could have a whole new collection of StarCraft competitors!

Source: http://www.gamepron.com/news/2010/04/12/starcraft-cheating-scandal-rocks-korea/

Starcraft II Collectors Edition Announced

Aseenus — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:08:22 +0000

Blizzard Entertainment has just announced that there will be a collectors edition for Starcraft 2. I don’t know about you but I’m not at all surprised, almost every single game nowadays is being released with a collectors edition why should the sequel to one of the most anticipated RTS games of all time be any different. Though we are semi excited about the announcement the entire gaming world is still waiting on the release date to be announced. In the end of the day any news is better than none at all and we know now that the release date for Starcraft 2 is closer than ever. I guess all we can say now is ‘Patience is a virtue’. Here are the details on the collectors edition:

IRVINE, Calif. – April 8, 2010 – Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that its highly anticipated real-time strategy game, StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™, will be available both in a standard edition and in a limited-release Collector’s Edition packed with exclusive bonus materials. Players who purchase either edition will be able to play online for no additional fee through the new version of Battle.net®, the premier online gaming destination for Blizzard Entertainment gamers.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty will be available on DVD-ROM for Windows® XP/Windows Vista®/Windows® 7 and Macintosh®. The standard edition will sell for a suggested retail price of $59.99 and will also be available shortly after release as a download through the online Blizzard Store. The special Collector’s Edition package, which is priced at $99.99 and will only be available at retail stores, will include the following bonus items in addition to the game disc:

* The Art of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, a 176-page book featuring artwork from the game
* An exclusive 2GB USB flash drive replica of Jim Raynor’s dog tag, which comes preloaded with the original StarCraft and the StarCraft: Brood War® expansion set
* A behind-the-scenes DVD containing over an hour of developer interviews, cinematics with director’s commentary, and more
* The official StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty soundtrack CD, containing 14 epic tracks from the game along with exclusive bonus tracks
* StarCraft comic book issue #0, a prequel to the comic series
* A World of Warcraft® mini Thor in-game pet that can be applied to all World of Warcraft characters on a single Battle.net account
* Exclusive Battle.net downloadable content, including special portraits for your Battle.net profile, decals to customize your units in-game, and a visually unique version of the terran Thor unit

“We’ve been looking forward to revisiting the StarCraft universe with our players for over 10 years, and we wanted to offer an epic collector’s edition that commemorated the occasion,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “This special version of StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty — easily our biggest collector’s edition to date — does just that, and we think StarCraft II gamers will really enjoy all of the exclusive contents.”

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty is the sequel to Blizzard Entertainment’s 1998 hit StarCraft, which has been hailed by players and critics worldwide as one of the top real-time strategy games of all time. StarCraft II will once again center on the clash between the protoss, terrans, and zerg, with each side deploying favorite units from the original StarCraft, along with numerous upgraded and brand-new units and abilities that allow for fresh tactics and strategies. The game’s new 3D-graphics engine maintains the speed and responsive control of its predecessor while rendering hundreds of units onscreen for massive battles.

StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty’s solo campaign will continue the epic saga where it left off in StarCraft: Brood War. The storyline chronicles the exploits of marshal-turned-rebel-leader Jim Raynor and features both familiar faces and new heroes. Players will be able to tailor the experience, choosing their own mission path and selecting technology and research upgrades to suit their playing style throughout the 29-mission campaign.

Several challenge-mode mini-games will also be included, with focused goals designed to ease players into the basics of multiplayer strategies. In addition, dozens of multiplayer maps will be available for competitive play through the new version of Battle.net, which is launching alongside StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. This new version of the service has been built from the ground up to offer an unparalleled online play experience, with new features such as voice communication, character profiles and achievements, stat-tracking, ladders and leagues, cloud file storage, and more.

Additional information about StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, including the release date, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Source: http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/pressreleases.html?100408

StarCraft II Beta – Patch 8

Aseenus — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 01:49:39 +0000

Blizzard has just released Starcraft 2 Beta Patch 8 with a bit of love for the Protoss. Terran and Zerg players don’t seem to be very happy with the patch with Marauders and Roaches getting hit with the nerf bat. It seems that Blizzard finally did something right with this patch:

General

* Korea
* Added support to display the game rating information on the login screen.

Balance Changes

* TERRAN

o Thor

+ Build time decreased from 75 seconds to 60 seconds.

o Siege Tank

+ Build time decreased from 50 seconds to 45 seconds.

o Marauder

+ Concussive Shells now require an upgrade.

o Barracks Tech Lab

+ Concussive Shells upgrade added.
+ Concussive Shells upgrade costs 100/100 and takes 80 seconds to complete.

* PROTOSS

o Void Ray

+ Changed to only have 2 damage levels instead of 3. Still takes the same amount of time to fully charge.
+ Base damage changed from 2 (+4 armored) to 5.
+ Powered-up damage changed from 8 (+16 armored) to 10 (+15 armored).
+ Armor value decreased from 1 to 0.
+ Cost increased from 200/150 to 250/150.

* ZERG

o Roach

+ Burrowed move speed decreased from 2 to 1.4.
+ Armor value decreased from 2 to 1.

o Hydralisk
+ Life decreased from 90 to 80.

Source: http://forums.battle.net/thread.html?topicId=23094049316&postId=242397824179&sid=5000#9